IRLS Contest Winner: Dr. Sahil Koppikar

Residents from across Canada and worldwide answered that question — submitting a diverse range of innovative and engaging ideas. The quality of the entries we received this year was excellent, presenting the review board with the ever-challenging task of selecting the winners. After much debate and deliberation, they have their winners:

What if Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogging and Free Open Access Medical Education (FOAMed) all came together? What if a Psychiatry resident at UBC could easily share an innovative teaching method with a Pathology resident at Dalhousie? What if we can bring a national conference right to your home? That, I think, is the future.

With the advent of the digital age and social media, the creation and exchange of user-generated content has redefined education at all levels. Residents across the country, while mastering their trade in different specialties, share common educational goals. Six out of the seven CanMEDS competencies are common to all residents. So why is there such a segregation between specialties and residents across the country?

I propose a national platform, similar to a virtual online community and network for all residents (a quasi-Facebook and Blogging online world). This framework would easily allow for the sharing of ideas and concepts between various programs. If one program comes up with something innovative that works for its residents (i.e. an iBook), it can easily be blogged about and translated to other programs. We can have different “groups” for various discussions; an area to share professionalism issues, another to discuss educational methods and techniques across specialties, and an area for media topics. Other potential groups for discussion include chief residents, one for each specialty and interesting cases. Members would be able to create “virtual networks” (or friends as on Facebook/LinkedIn) and connect with colleagues not only in their specialty, but individuals with interests in other areas such as medical education, research, health policy, etc. The possibilities are endless and the networking infinite.

The concept is that we already do this; at conferences, meetings, through journal articles and sometimes through social media. However, inevitably it is limited to our program, our school or our specialty. How often do residents read the blog of a program director at another school in a different specialty? Almost never. However, if that program came up with an innovative idea, all residents across the country would quickly find out through the national platform and could possibly initiate it at their own programs. By opening the dialogue to all residents via a familiar and regularly accessed medium, we promote further discussion, faster innovation and explore areas beyond our limits.